The Columbus Crew, after winning the third MLS Cup in club history, is back in action, competing for continental bragging rights in the Concacaf Champions Cup. As the 2023 league champions, the Club earned a bye in Round One and will face the winner of Houston Dynamo FC and St. Louis CITY SC in the Round of 16. The Crew’s first match will be away on Wednesday, March 6, and the second will be hosted at Lower.com Field on Tuesday, March 12. Tickets are available now for the home leg of the Round of 16.
The Concacaf Champions Cup is the tournament that determines the best club in North America. This competition combines clubs from all over North America, Central America, and the Caribbean into one event. Beginning in February and ending on June 2, this tournament will be played in addition to league campaigns, meaning the Crew could have an early cup run this summer before another one later in the year – fingers crossed.
Concacaf Champions Cup is composed of five rounds: Round One, Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and the Final. The first four stages of the competition have home and away legs – so the Crew is guaranteed a home match at Lower.com Field in every round until the Final. As for the Final, that will be a single-elimination championship. Twenty-seven teams will participate in Concacaf Champions Cup, and 22 of them play in Round One. Columbus has already secured a spot in the Round of 16 as the MLS Cup champion and faces the winner of Houston Dynamo FC and St. Louis CITY SC.
Three teams qualified via the Leagues Cup: the winner (Inter Miami CF), runner-up (Nashville SC), and third-place finisher (Philadelphia). Five MLS teams qualified for the Concacaf Champions Cup: the MLS Cup champion (Columbus), the Supporters’ Shield winner (FC Cincinnati), the opposite conference winner (St. Louis CITY SC), the MLS Cup runner-up (Seattle Sounders FC), and the MLS Cup semifinalist with the best regular-season record (Los Angeles FC).
